Kale yeah! A delicious and harmonious Kale Salad with Toasted Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing that will hit all the right notes when you’re craving those greens. The sweetness of apples and bite of red onion make the perfect compliment to our favorite super trendy salad ingredient. Massaged kale with a lemon and garlic tahini dressing, this creamy salad is a nutrition packed lunch waiting to happen. Top with the spiced roasted chickpeas, and you’ve got yourself a meal!
I never thought I would reach the point in my life where I was craving kale, but here we are. The thing about eating healthy is that the more you do it, the more you crave it. I find myself craving this nutritious green on at least a weekly basis. This salad is easy to put together, and hits the spot for all those healthy cravings.
What’s so great about kale?
Kale packs a nutrition punch. It is very high in amounts of vitamins A, K, B6 and C, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese. You may be surprised to know that kale has more than twice the amount of calcium than the same amount of whole milk (250 vs 110 mg per 100 grams). That in addition to the high amounts of vitamin K, make kale a great ally to bone health.
Several studies have found benefits for cardiovascular health. It also contains glucosinolates, which may be a protector against several different types of cancer. And if you need yet another reason, it has also been shown to have a positive impact on lowering your amount of bad cholesterol by preventing the oxidation of LDL with it’s antioxidants.
Why do you massage the kale?
As far as dark leafy greens go, kale is on the tougher side as far as textures go. This can create an unpleasant feel in the mouth for some. Massaging it with your hands for a couple minutes, starts to break down its structure, making it more tender.
If you’ve never massaged kale, you just literally have to get in there and get your hands dirty. By adding a small amount of the dressing, you are not only helping the process of it breaking down, but also ensuring the dressing gets evenly distributed throughout your salad.
Here’s a 1 minute video from America’s Test Kitchen if you need a quick kale massaging lesson!
How many people does this Kale Salad with Toasted Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing serve?
If you are eating this as your full meal, this serves two people. However, if you’re having this as a starter salad or side dish, it can feed up to four people.
To make this an even more complete meal, make this with our Creamy Asparagus Soup!
Mix it up!
You may want to stir the salad a bit before serving to evenly distribute the dressing. This recipe does not call for an excessive amount of dressing, as it can distract from the bright flavors of the fresh veggies. In this case, mixing a bit beforehand, helps all the salad to get coated in the dressing.
If you like a lot of dressing on your salad, feel free to double the recipe for the dressing.
For those who are SOS free-
Feel free to omit the small amount of salt in this recipe. With your adjusted palate, you should not miss it, and it makes this SOS free compliant. Also, be sure to use coconut aminos, as opposed to tamari or soy sauce, as it has the lowest sodium content of the three.
Happy cooking!
Kale Salad with Toasted Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
Toasted Chickpeas
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas a little less than 1 can
- 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp 24 seasoning blend (or any all seasoning blend)
- pinch of salt
Salad Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale I used green curly kale, but use whatever you prefer
- 1/2 apple of your choice chopped I like Fugi
- 1/6 of a red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp hemp hearts optional
Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing
- 1 clove garlic, crushed or minced about 1 tsp if you are using jarred minced garlic
- 2 tbsp tahini
- Juice of half a lemon about 3 tbsp
- 1/4 tsp dried dill
- 1.5 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F if using oven instead of air fryer
- Combine chickpeas and remaining Toasted Chickpea ingredients (coconut aminos, smoked paprika, garlic powder, 24 seasoning, and salt) in a small bowl and stir till chickpeas are well coated.
- Place seasoned chickpeas on a baking tray lined with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper and spread evenly so they are not touching.
- Bake for 20 minutes, tossing once halfway through the cooking time, OR air fry for 10 minutes at 380 degrees, shaking the basket halfway through
- While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the dressing by combining all dressing ingredients (tahini, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup, dill & water) in a small bowl and whisking until completely smooth. You may need to add more or less water, depending on your preference of consitency.
- Wash and de-stem the kale. Chop into bite size pieces and add to a large bowl.
- Add approximately 1.5 tbsp of the dressing to the kale plus a pinch of salt, and massage the kale for about 3 minutes, until all the leaves have broken down a bit and they are evenly coated in the dressing.
- When chickpeas are done (they should be sligthly browned and crisp, but not hard all the way through- they should still be slightly soft on the inside), remove from oven or airfryer.
- Top the massaged kale with chopped apple, sliced onion, toasted chickpeas, remainder of the dressing and sprinkle with hemp hearts (optional)
- Serve and enjoy!
4 Responses
I have tried other salads like this but this dressing and method of cooking chickpeas was the winner! Highly recommend.
Thanks Andrea! So glad you liked it!
I loved this dressing! I used it on shredded purple and green cabbages and carrots with some red bell pepper. (It’s what was in my fridge) I dried the chick peas in the air fryer. Easy. Thanks for the recipe.❤
That sounds delicious Nicole! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and all my best to you!